The Meta Quest 3 has finally been dated for worldwide release, with the upcoming VR device now officially set to arrive on 10 October 2023. Alongside the date, and details of pricing for global regions, a range of first hands-on previews with media have also arrived online, painting an intriguing picture about the Meta Quest 2 successor.
First, let’s break down the revealed price tag for the upcoming Meta Quest 3:
- United States – US $499 for the 128GB version | US $649 for the 512GB version
- United Kingdom – £479 for the 128GB version | £619 for the 512GB version
- EU – €549 for the 128GB version | €699 for the 512GB version
- Australia – AU $799.99 for the 128GB version | AU $1,049.99 for the 512GB version
Preorders are now available via the Meta website. Everyone who preorders will gain a free copy of Asgard’s Wrath 2.
Read: Meta launches Meta Quest+ VR game subscription service
As part of its major announcement, Meta has also revealed that Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming to Meta Quest devices in December – meaning you’ll be able to play streamed games like Halo Infinite, Minecraft Legends, and Forza Horizon 5. Around 100 “new and upgraded titles” including Stranger Things VR are also coming to Quest 3 by the end of the year, some of which will utilise new mixed reality features – so there should be plenty to keep you occupied.
As for the previews, there’s plenty of new details to dive in with. Over at The Verge, previewer Adi Robertson noted the device is slightly more compact than its predecessor, and features a much crisper display that allows text to be far more readable. Robertson was also impressed with the Quest 3’s slimmer controllers, and quality-of-life tweaks – although, she noted its mixed reality features weren’t standout.
Over on Engadget, previewer Sam Rutherford claimed the Meta Quest 3 doesn’t stray too far away from the Meta Quest 2 formula – but does pack in a bunch of improvements to established features, like a better headband, sharper pass-through for mixed reality, and a special dial for adjusting inter-pupillary distance (for focus).
“Right away, everything just looks sharper, hand movements feel more precise and even audio sounds more immersive,” Rutherford wrote. “You can also feel that increased performance, most noticeably when switching between VR and the pass-through cameras.”
June Wan of ZDNET had even more high praise for the headset, calling its mixed reality experience “next level” with improvements across the board contribution to this feeling. “Unlike the Quest 2, which depicted your surroundings in pixelated grayscale, passthrough on the Quest 3 feels much more photo-realistic,” Wan said. “That’s an invitation to use the headset for games and applications that blend digital overlays with your surroundings.”
So far, there’s plenty of intrigue about this upcoming device – with these hands-on previews giving a solid glimpse at what’s to come. We’ll likely learn more about the Meta Quest 3 and its full slate of games in the coming month, as it heads towards worldwide release on 10 October 2023.
